U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, State Senate President Dan Dockstader provided latest congressional and legislative updates, answered questions from NFIB members
One of the many benefits of NFIB membership is the opportunity your association presents to hear directly from and talk directly to the top policymakers and agency officials making the decisions affecting your ability to own, operate, and grow your business.
By that measure, NFIB Wyoming’s 2021 Virtual Small Business Day at the Capitol, held September 21, was an unqualified success, featuring U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis and State Senate President Don Dockstader.
At the time this year’s Small Business Day was held, Congress was in the throes of a budget reconciliation process that threatens to produce some of the most anti-small-business initiatives in a generation, details of which you can read about on NFIB’s Small Business Survival campaign webpage.
But did the Biden administration and congressional allies go too far?
Senator Lummis told Small Business Day attendees, “It is possible that the massive over-reach … is going to fizzle out, but those of us who are worried about small business and individual taxpayers and workers really need to push it. We cannot default to the position that they’ve over-reached and it’s going to fizzle. We have to proactively fight it. I think you’re going to see strong efforts by small business advocates in the coming weeks to do just that.”
Wyoming’s energy and environmental fronts were also under assault from the Biden administration, according to Senator Lummis, who cited, as examples:
- the resurrection of the Obama-era Waters of the United State (WOTUS) rule
- the president’s 30 by 30 executive order “identifying strategies that will encourage broad participation in the goal of conserving 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030.”
- and the pause on oil and gas permitting.
Additionally, said the senator, “We’re very concerned they have not focused on carbon capture and sequestration as a way to alleviate global warming and climate change. There is a way to use fossil fuels that is friendly toward carbon emissions.”
For his part, Senator Dockstader said the state is also working on meaningful environmental initiatives. “We’re still working on carbon sequestration and things like that. We’ll keep our mineral industry vital because those are the jobs that pay the bills, those are the jobs that allow Wyoming people to have a home … buy a pick-up. I would like to sustain our mineral industry while we step into the new world of energy.”
Dockstader also discussed upcoming tax issues and the state budget, but he was positively evangelical on the issue of broadband and what it has brought and could bring to Wyoming. “We open doors for businesses with broadband,” he said, pointing out it has already worked wonders expanding health-care services and running power grids. “If we don’t figure a way to get high-speed internet to the rest of Wyoming, we’ve failed.”
Both Sens. Lummis and Dockstader discussed other issues, which can be heard in the video below. The introduction of Senator Lummis begins at the 14:30-minute mark and Senator Dockstader at the 39-minute mark.
The day’s event began with welcoming remarks from NFIB President and CEO Brad Close, followed by a congressional update from Kevin Kuhlman, NFIB’s senior vice president for federal government relations. NFIB Wyoming State Director Tony Gagliardi moderated the discussion and Senior Grassroots Manager Jake Braunger provided additional information and discussed how NFIB members could get more involved.
- Help small businesses avoid a federal tax increase. Contact your elected officials here.
- Click here to tell the Joint Committee of Revenue no new taxes on small businesses.
